Weekly Torah
Deeply Ingrained

This week's Torah reading begins with the words "Zot chukat hatorah," "This is the decree of the Torah."

The word chok, "decree," literally means to engrave. Engraving entails strenuous efforts in order to achieve the desired result. On the other hand, once achieved, the results are "set in stone" and very hard to remove.

Our approach to life and to the Torah should be in a manner of chok, of engraving. It is not enough for Torah to be the cherry on the pie, a nice book with some cute ideals in it. For our Judaism to operate effectively, to change us and to affect us, it has to be engraved deep within. Our Judaism must be something which is instantly recognizable, deeply embedded within us and not something which can be separated.

By fusing everything together, we are able to proceed beyond our own limitations and truly internalize the lessons that we are learning from our heritage. In this way we become one with the Torah, with our roots, with G-d Himself, in a deeply ingrained manner which cannot be uprooted.